If You Feel Like a Failure, Pottery Helps You Remember That You’re Not

Maybe it’s a career that didn’t work out. A relationship that ended. A series of wrong turns you can’t seem to stop blaming yourself for. You feel like a failure—and it follows you everywhere.

At The Clay Hole in Draper, Utah, we see people arrive carrying that same shame. But here, failure becomes part of the art. A wobbly bowl. A glaze that didn’t behave. And somehow, those imperfections become the most loved pieces. Just like us.

Pottery doesn’t erase your past. But it gives you a new way to see yourself—through creation, not comparison.

Why Pottery Helps People Who Feel Like Failures

Failure often comes with isolation, self-doubt, and the belief that you’ve missed your chance. Pottery disrupts that cycle. Each time you show up and make something—whether it turns out or not—you prove that your story isn’t finished. That you are still shaping something meaningful.

• No one here judges your past—we’re all just creating forward
• You’ll leave class with proof that you can build something new
• Mistakes are part of the process—and often the best parts
• The studio is full of people starting over, too
• What you create doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful

According to a study on craft-based resilience, tactile creativity like pottery helps restore self-perception after perceived life failures. It builds agency, reintroduces joy, and redefines success as showing up—not perfection.

How Pottery Gently Redefines What It Means to “Succeed”

You don’t need to be good at pottery. You just need to try. In this studio, you’ll be surrounded by kind people who’ve also felt lost, stuck, or ashamed. And little by little, you’ll remember that failing doesn’t make you a failure. You’re allowed to rebuild. You’re allowed to begin again.

• Located in Draper—serving Salt Lake County and Utah Valley
• Weekly classes and a bonus day to practice at your own pace
• No “success” metrics—just kindness, creativity, and curiosity
• Studio founder Dan Pearce joins often and deeply understands the power of starting over

“Pottery was the first thing I didn’t quit. I still mess up pieces, but I keep going. And for once, I don’t feel like a failure—I feel like I’m healing.” — B.J.

*You are not a failure. You are still becoming. Pottery just helps you see that.*

Conclusion

If you feel like a failure, come get your hands in some clay. No one here expects perfection. We just show up, create, and support each other as we go. You are not alone in this. And you are not done. Not even close.

This content was created in collaboration with Dan Pearce, owner of The Clay Hole—a professional potter with nearly 3 million followers across social media who regularly joins members in studio classes.

Join a Class and Start Again